Veer Gatha: Stories of Param Vir Chakra Awardees

Book Review

Veer Gatha: Stories of Param Vir Chakra Awardees is a non-fiction book

published by National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT) in the year
2016 at a price of Rupees 100. Veer Gaatha: Stories of Param Vir Chakra Awardees has been
brought out in the honour of those who fought against all odds to safeguard the honour of our
nation.
Veer Gaatha is a memoir of war heroes who will be remembered forever for their indomitable
courage, dedication to duty and undying love for the motherland. This book is a collection of
stories of great icons of the Indian armed forces who have been awarded the Param Vir
Chakra. The award is the highest military honour and it stands for the highest degree of
conspicuous gallantry, supreme courage, leadership, exemplary devotion to duty and self-
sacrifice in wartime.
The stories in the book are inspiring and instructive. They will give the reader insights into
our “Param Virs”, the bravehearts, their disciplined and determined characters and their
commitment to responsibility. We are sure that students will be motivated to imbibe their
sterling qualities and carry forward the glorious tradition set by them.
The Param Vir Chakra (PVC) is India’s highest military decoration awarded for the highest
degree of valour or self-sacrifice in presence of the enemy. Literally, Param Vir Chakra
means ‘Wheel (or Cross) of the Ultimate Brave’. In Sanskrit, Param means Ultimate, Vir
(pronounced veer) means Brave and Chakra means Wheel. Introduced on 26th January 1950,
this award may be given posthumously.
The book has been developed with the support of the ministries of defence and human
resource development. Twenty one Indian soldiers have been awarded the nation’s highest
gallantry award the Param Vir Chakra so far since independence. Maj Somnath Sharma was
awarded the first PVC posthumously for the Battle to save the Srinagar airfield from Pakistan
army and raiders in October 1947.
Veer Gaatha seeks to introduce the great acts of bravery of the Param Vir Chakra awardees to
instill a sense of inspiration and patriotism in children at an early age.
It is a part of HRD ministry’s initiative to take the stories of India’s bravest of the brave
soldiers to young school children and inspire them to be a part of the Indian armed
forces. The book aims to introduce the tales of valour and unparalleled bravery of Indian
soldiers to the young generation.